Sleepovers
by WriteForFun1
Summary: Vegeta's run-in with "ghosts" brings him closer to his daughter.


Vegeta looked up at the clock. Two in the morning and still training; he wasn't going to hear the end of it from Bulma if she was still awake. Most days he would warn her before starting his daily routine to not wait up for him if he knew it was going to be a long one. On the days he left without saying anything, she'd usually still be awake when he finally came back in, either working or waiting for him in bed, but that would be around midnight. It was two in the morning and he hadn't said anything... she was going to kill him. It probably didn't help that on this particular night Goten was sleeping over; dealing with two half-Saiyan preteens and a certain fussy blue-haired daughter tended to put Bulma on edge the days he didn't stay in the house.

Turning the gravity chamber off and glancing out one of the windows, Vegeta noticed that none of the lights were on in the house. That was a good sign. He quickly toweled off, not wanting Bulma to also complain about getting sweat on the sheets, and hurried across the cool, dew-damp lawn to the back sliding doors of Capsule Corps. The living room was dark and quiet. He slipped his shoes off to keep it that way, but suddenly realized there was something... weird about the house. He had been expecting the boys to be up playing loud and obnoxious video games, to find chips and soda cans lying around the living room, and lights carelessly left on, or anything to suggest even a hint of a typical Trunks and Goten sleepover. But it was dark and quiet.

He was far too tired and anxious to slip, hopefully, unnoticed into bed to spend too much time thinking about the state of the house. Picking up his shoes, he began silently making his way towards the hall leading away from the living room and towards the main bedrooms. He hadn't made it halfway to his and Bulma's room before he heard whimpering further doors down in Bra's room. He furrowed his brow and searched the power levels in the house as he made his way a little more quickly in Bra's direction. Bulma's was exactly where he had expected, but as he neared Bra's bedroom he noticed Goten's and Trunks' hiding in her closet. By now he was at her door, it was cracked and he could see Bra sitting up clinging to her sheets for dear life, tears rolling down her face. He could also hear suspiciously familiar male voices making what Vegeta guessed were supposed to be creepy ghost noises and the sound of them creaking her double closet doors back and forth.

Bra looked up and noticed her father standing outside her door. She opened her mouth to plead for him to come in, but he quickly put a finger up to his mouth, motioning for her to remain quiet and not alert anyone to his presence. He managed to push open the door silently enough to sneak through into the room and made his way unheard to the front of the closet, standing in enough shadow to also remain unseen. He slowly put his hands up so they were barely touching both closet doors and in an instant violently ripped them open, pulling one off of it's hinges. The two boys practically jumped out of their skin and huddled as far back into the closet as the walls would allow, holding each other for dear life. Vegeta slowly crouched down to their level and with a smirk on his face said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought I heard ghosts in here."

Still shaking, neither of the boys put up any fight as Vegeta grabbed both by the ears and dragged them back down the hall to Trunks' room. He tossed the boys roughly onto the ground and glared at them long enough to make both feel sufficiently uncomfortable.

"If I go in my room and discover your childish behavior has awoken your mother, I will make it my personal mission to scare you both far worse than you did Bra. Understood?"

Both boys violently shook their heads yes.

"Good. Now shut up and go to sleep!" Vegeta stormed out slamming Trunks' door behind him.

Goten nervously glanced over at Trunks, "I really thought I was going to wet myself for a minute there."

"Welcome to every day of my life."

Making this trip for the second time, Vegeta started towards his bedroom door when he heard Bra's faint voice from across the hall.

"Daddy?"

"Oh, now what?" He huffed under his breath, changing directions and heading back towards Bra's bedroom. He stood in her doorway, "Yes, what is it Bra?"

"Will you hold me?" She whimpered back.

"Wha... what for? There's nothing to be afraid of. Your brother is just a moron, now go to sleep." Vegeta turned and was about to leave when he heard Bra choke back a sob. He clenched his fists a few times and sighed. Quietly closing her door behind him, me hesitantly walked to the edge of her bed. Bra let go of her sheets and stretched out her arms in anticipation for her father's embrace. Vegeta closed his eyes and, grinding his teeth, bent over to pick Bra up. She threw her arms around her father's neck and buried her face in his chest.

"Thank you," she whispered, still fighting back tears.

"... Everything's okay," he replied, awkwardly rubbing her back.

"Can I come sleep with you and Mommy?"

"No, there's nothing wrong with your room."

Bra looked up at Vegeta with her big blue eyes, so much like her mother's, welling up with tears. Vegeta quickly looked away, trying to seem apathetic, but the damage had been done.

"Fi... fine. Yes, you may." Her face lit up with a smile and she put her head peacefully back down against her father's neck as he finally made his way to his own bedroom. The lights were off, but Vegeta could tell that Bulma was fast asleep and wearing one of her oversized night shirts. He was silently relieved that she hadn't been waiting waiting for him in bed. As he neared the edge, Bra crawled from his arms and disappeared under the large soft blankets of the bed. She quickly reappeared cuddling up against her mother, gently waking Bulma up in the process.

"Hm? Everything okay, honey?" Bulma asked, turning over and wrapping her arms around their small daughter.

"Daddy saved me, Mommy!" Bulma smiled and glanced up in time to see Vegeta slip into the master bathroom to change.

She gently brushed Bra's hair out of her face, "That doesn't surprise me at all."

Both had fallen back asleep before Vegeta silently joined them. Just as he was about to doze off, he turned over towards the two and absently placed his arm around Bulma's waist, holding both protectively as he drifted off to sleep.


End file.
